missed his large, comforting presence, his blunt, almost ugly features, and she felt a rush of affection as he fixed her with his serious gaze. “Jilly’s been telling me all the shite that actually went down at that vampire party. Could’ve knocked me down with a feather.” He leaned forward, offering his head. “You still could.”
“Run out of feathers,” Sera said dryly. “Weird happenings, eh?”
“And that bloke Blair, in the kilt—he really bit me, aye?”
“Aye. Do you still not remember it?”
Tam frowned. “No. It feels a bit hazy, to be honest. Didn’t seem to matter at the time, but looking back, I must have had some kind of dizzy turn. As if I’d drunk too much, you know? Only I didn’t. I don’t remember him speaking to me, yet I knew his name, so he must have. I wasn’t lying to you, Sera. That is, I didn’t mean to.”
“I know that, Tam. And I’m sorry I checked up on you. It was just such a bloody weird night, and in spite of everything I know about you, it still seemed more likely that you were in league with another scammer than that there really were vampires running around posh parties biting large men the size of houses.”
Tam nodded sagely. “I see what you mean.”
“And I think he told you his name telepathically. You must be slightly psychic.”
He looked stunned by that but accepted his mug of tea from her and drank thoughtfully before setting it down on the kitchen table. “Jilly says he’s actually the good guy.”
Sera dropped into the chair opposite him. “Blair?” she said in disbelief. “Jilly said that?”
“Well, better than the other bad guys.”
“He’s our ally. We think.”
“I’ll come over this evening,” Tam said casually, “and watch your back.”
Touched, Sera said, “You don’t need to do that.”
“Might as well. Not working until pantomime season.”
Sera smiled. “Thanks, Tam.”
“No bother.” He drained his mug and stood up. “Right, got a couple of things to do. I’ll bring some food in with me this evening.”
For some reason, Sera felt uplifted by Tam’s visit. Perhaps it was his calm acceptance of events or his forgiveness or just his stoic loyalty, but it all added up to a lot.
Why could I not love Tam? The wayward thought gate-crashed. She needed to avoid the L-word at all costs. But even burying herself in Melanie’s books and concentrating hard on what had been written about summoning and channeling energy couldn’t distract her from the knowledge that no one in her adult life had moved her as Blair did.
****
Alex McGowan’s patrol car was on its way back to the police station, driving past Serafina’s, when he spotted a well-known villain leaving her premises.
“Stop here a minute,” he said on impulse, and his partner obligingly pulled up at the curb. McGowan got out and walked across the street to the shop front. He’d wrestled a lot with himself over Serafina MacBride. From believing her to be the same scum of the earth who’d abused his mother’s grief to steal her entire life savings, he’d almost got to the stage of believing she could contact his dead sister if he could only make himself ask her.
And now lowlife Andy Kerr was visiting her.
Of course, Andy could have a spiritual side. Or Sera McBride could be involved in more serious crimes, like the Fountainbridge arson. Although he couldn’t quite imagine Sera’s reasons, Andy Kerr had been done for arson before.
McGowan opened the door and went in. The middle-aged receptionist was on the phone. The glamorous assistant—Jilly?—was at the desk behind her, staring intently at a computer screen. When McGowan coughed, she glanced up impatiently, then, presumably recognizing him, got to her feet and came toward him.
“Miss MacBride in?” Alex asked.
“No, sorry, she’s out right now. Can I take a message for her?”
“No thanks, Miss…?”
“Kerr. Jilly Kerr. We met the other night.”
Kerr? Sera MacBride worked with a Kerr? Alex held Jilly’s gaze. “Are you related to the gentleman who just left here?”
Her eyes changed, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on how. “That’s no gentleman, Constable. That’s my brother.”
“Does he work here too?”
“Andy? Work? Of course, he doesn’t.”
“Then can I ask what his business was here?”
Her eyes flashed. She really was extraordinarily pretty. “Not without a bloody good reason.”
“Arson investigation’s a bloody good reason.”
Her lips parted. Her gaze dropped, then returned to his. “For what it’s worth, I’m sure Andy had nothing to do with Fountainbridge, if that’s what you’re talking about. He came to borrow money off